


this son of mine was dead and has come to life again

by jcp_sob_rjl_lmep



Series: the way of the wicked leads to ruin (let none of them survive) [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Bruce Wayne is a Good Parent, Dark Batfamily (DCU), Dark Gotham (DCU), Gen, Good Grandparent Alfred Pennyworth, Protective Bruce Wayne, Torture, but it's a death we all want i promise, there is a major character death in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:40:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep/pseuds/jcp_sob_rjl_lmep
Summary: The drive to Arkham usually took somewhere between 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the night.Batman was pulling up in front of it 25 minutes after his son confessed his murderer’s identity.
Relationships: Jason Todd & Bruce Wayne
Series: the way of the wicked leads to ruin (let none of them survive) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901875
Comments: 20
Kudos: 286





	this son of mine was dead and has come to life again

It was a dark and stormy afternoon at Wayne Manor. Bruce lifted his legs as his boys tumbled past-Dick playfully growling, Tim snarling around laughter as they tried to pin each other. Lightning flashed.

Lightning flashed, and there was a heavy thump at the door.

Lightning flashed, and thunder roared, and Bruce put his book to the side, sitting up straight. All at once, he felt strange-as if his life was about to change, completely overthrown, and he was helpless to stop it. The boys stopped as well, perking up from the floor, staring intently towards the front of the Manor.

Lightning flashed and Alfred opened the door.

Lightning flashed and Alfred _screamed_.

* * *

“Honestly, Master Bruce,” Alfred scolded gently. “It was hardly a scream. It was-well, it was a shock.”

Together, they turned to look at their family; Dick held Jason in place with his knees, rubbing at his wet hair with a towel. Jason was tense, almost as if he wanted to shove his older brother off, but his attention was occupied by his new younger brother-Tim was absolutely captivated by Jason, perched on the older boy’s knees and rambling away. Cass had jumped down from wherever she had been perching, keeping Alfred company in the kitchen, and was holding one of Jason's hands, tracing over his knuckles with a finger and staring at his hand intently. Bruce had tests running down in the Cave, but he knew his kids, all of them. A copy of Jason would never be this precise.

Finally, Jason snarled, turning to snap at Dick, yellowed fangs shining in the light. Dick tossed the towel over his head, ducking away with a laugh. Bruce frowned and sent a glance at Alfred before he walked forward and plucked Tim up. He motioned Dick away with a jerk of his head, then handed his youngest to his oldest. Cass dropped her older brother's hand, drifting back behind Alfred and wrapping one of her hands in the back of his suit.

“Jaylad,” Bruce started, gently tugging off the towel. It hadn’t just been a trick of the light-his son’s eyes were glowing an eerie green, hauntingly captivating against the gray of his skin.

“I’m sorry,” Jason gasped, lunging forward and hiding his face in Bruce’s chest. Bruce could only look down at him, stunned, as his son began to cry. “Dad, I’m so sorry,”

This was about more than trying to bite Dick, Bruce determined as he wrapped his arms around his prodigal son, chest rumbling gently. He still remembered the incident a few years ago when Jason was 13 and Dick was 17. Jason had pushed his older brother out of a second-story window and then tried to win their father over with an innocent smile. They had both bitten each other before, accidentally and on purpose, and even Bruce had scars that matched his sons’ teeth. If this was about Dick, it was a major overreaction.

He comforted his boy, breathing steadily until Jason matched his pattern, slowly calming. Finally, he looked up, his eyes still tinted green. “I was so stupid, Dad, I’m sorry I went to see the Joker.”

Bruce’s blood _roared_.

* * *

The drive to Arkham usually took somewhere between 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the night.

Batman was pulling up in front of it 25 minutes after his son confessed his murderer’s identity.

* * *

Hacking into Arkham security was child’s play, especially because Batman had called in a favor with Oracle. He took the information he needed while she covered his tracks, and then she manipulated the cameras so he could take the Joker from his cell.

“Batsy!” The man cackled as Batman dropped down in front of his cell. Batman pulled a hooked knife from his belt, hefting it up to test its weight, then threw it between the bars. Joker howled as it sliced into his shoulder and pinned him to the cell wall.

“You’re a dead man walking,” Batman growled, his lips twisting in a grim smirk as fear began to bleed into green eyes. Then he took the Joker by the throat and slammed his head into the wall, knocking the man unconscious.

* * *

“Does any of this seem familiar?” Batman asked as the Joker stirred in the chair he was bound to. He grinned as the Joker choked on the gag in his mouth. The Joker could only watch as Batman tugged off his cowl and set it on the table he leaned against, quickly folding the cape it was attached to as he put it down. Bruce Wayne hefted a crowbar into the air, flipping it between his hands as he approached the chair. “This is the way you killed my son. And this is the way you’re going to die.”

The Joker screamed when the first blow cracked his ribs.

“Did he scream?” Bruce asked, aiming for his right knee. “Did my boy beg for mercy? I held his body after he died. I know that you broke his legs. You shattered his ribs. He had three separate fractures in his skull. And with everything you did to him, he died of smoke inhalation, did you know that?

“You did everything you could to kill my boy, and he held on past that.” Bruce swung again at the ribs, drawing out a tortured groan. “You’re weak. You couldn’t kill my boy directly, and you can’t even handle the amount of pain you gave him.”

Bruce kept swinging until the Joker fell unconscious, sniveling in pain. Then he set down the crowbar and picked the cape and cowl up once more. Batman loosened the gag so it fell to the Joker’s throat, then dumped a bucket of water over his head so the Joker woke back up with a gasp and cry of pain. Still, he gave Batman a bloody grin. “I win, Batsy.”

“You've been nothing but a nuisance, Joker,” Batman replied coldly, raising his gun. “You were never my equal, and you _never_ should have touched my Robin.”

The body was found the next morning, crumpled next to the brick wall. The Bat’s signature laid in his chest-twin bullets, side by side. On the wall, words painted in blood spelled: _The punishment fits the crime_. The finishing touch was the Robin symbol, also drawn in blood, dripping under the words. Gotham’s Rogues would think twice about ever going after the bats and birds again.

* * *

“Dad?” Jason grumbled when Bruce scooped him up from the couch, blankets and all. His siblings had already been moved to their father’s bed. Bruce didn’t intend to let any of his children out of his sight any time soon.

“It’s bedtime for little birds, Jaylad,” Bruce whispered, smiling when his son curled into his embrace. Jason dozed as they made their way up the stairs, stirring as they reached the family hallway. Bruce’s room was located at the top of the stairs-the first line of defense between his children and anything that might try to harm them.

“There was this little boy there, Dad,” Jason mumbled. Blue eyes blinked open, captivating Bruce. Was this what it felt like, to hold a newborn son? This overwhelming love, the urge to hold your child and never let them leave your protection? “He was so small, Dad. He has her eyes.”

Bruce turned, followed Jason’s gaze to his mother's portrait, icy green eyes staring out over her son and grandchildren.

“Jason?” Bruce started to ask, turning back. But the boy was asleep, and Bruce was loathe to wake him.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm super excited to kick this one off! A month or two ago, I joined a DC discord. We have a lot of fun there. But one day I had a thought, and I posed it to them: what if Gothamites were physically different compared to everyone else in the world? After all, the Joker and Scarecrow alone spread quite a bit of toxins in the atmosphere. A normal person wouldn't be able to survive that.  
> And so together they all helped me with the worldbuilding for this AU! Gotham is very very insular in this universe, and so is the Batfamily. While they have allies, they don't really have friends. They have the Family, and that's all they need. Gothamites have thick grey skin, pointed teeth, thick pointed fingernails, and even internal differences to help them breathe through the toxins that they have to so they can survive. There's more, but it's all going to come out over the course of this series.  
> The last part is probably my favorite, and also my hint as to the next work in this series. My tumblr remains iwillstaywiththemforever, so come check me out. Make sure you subscribe to the series if you want more!  
> This fills the 'Reunion' square on my [Batman Bingo 2020 card](https://iwillstaywiththemforever.tumblr.com/post/628192033081851904/here-is-my-batman-bingo-2020-card-i-got-it-back)!  
> The title for this fic comes from the Bible, Luke 15:24. The title for the series also comes from the Bible; the first part is Psalms 1:6, and the part in parenthesis is from Psalms 10:15.  
> Downloads are okay, but please don't repost this fic anywhere else without my permission!  
> Love you guys, see you next time!  
> EDIT Nov. 1, 2020: I FORGOT CASS (she's here now)


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